President Javier Milei’s government says it has declassified and published nearly 500 pages of official documents from Argentina’s intelligence services covering the period 1973-1983, which includes a large period when the nation was led by a bloody dictatorship.
The documents were published on the official website of the Presidency and are from the archives of the State Intelligence Service (Secretaría de Inteligencia de Estado, or SIDE).
Files range from office supply lists kept by the spy agency to records detailing the creation of departments dedicated to espionage on universities, trade unions, companies, and political and social organisations.
“We are initiating the procedure for the publication of historical documents corresponding to the period 1973-1983,” said SIDE in a post on its X account.
“The initiative forms part of a policy aimed at strengthening the institutional framework of the National Intelligence System and its responsible relationship with society,” the intelligence service concluded in its post.
At this initial stage, “a set of 26 official documents totalling 492 pages” has been released, along with a guide to the declassification of the documents to facilitate their reading.
The release of these files comes just days before the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état that ushered in – on March 24, 1976 – the country’s last military dictatorship.
Approximately 30,000 people were abducted and disappeared during the era of state terrorism, according to estimates by human rights organisations. Officials in the Milei government say the figure is smaller.
Since the return of democracy, Argentina has prosecuted hundreds of those involved in crimes against humanity during the dictatorship, mainly former military personnel or police officers, although some civilians have also been tried.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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